Nanomanufacturing: An enabler for environmental technologies

From clean water to clean energy, many environmental technologies rely upon nanoscale phenomena, and consequently on our ability to control and manipulate material structure, composition, and function at that scale. While we have achieved unprecedented control over matter using the tools of integrated circuit manufacturing, the volumes and price points required to meet the demands of environmental technologies mean that the semiconductor manufacturing toolset cannot be used. I will describe the economic landscape relevant to nanomanufacturing in the context of environmental technologies and a selection of those nanostructuring methods that may meet the boundary conditions of scale and cost.